Object number
51/108
Collection
Exhibition
Description
This wooden gingerbread mould is of French origin with a large figure of a lady carved on one side, and nine small figures – three military, three rural and three musicians – carved on the other. Gingerbread made in these moulds was often gilded afterwards.
Physical description
1 gingerbread mould: wood
Label Text
Gingerbread mould. Gingerbread moulds like this were commonplace across Western Europe in the 19th century. This French mould features a large imprint of a woman on one side, and nine figures - three military, three rural and three musical - on the other side. Gingerbread has been enjoyed by British people for hundreds of years, ever since the introduction of ginger around the 11th century, when Crusaders returned from the Middle East with recipes for spiced bread. Biscuits known as 'fairings' were baked and sold at medieval fairs. By the 18th century gingerbread was always readily available.
Archival history
MERL list / description [Massingham Collection, circa 1951] - 'Museum of English Rural Life // Equipment to be loaned to the Cotswold Tradition Exhibition // Cat Ref. No.: // 51/108 M // [tick] Gingerbread Mould (French) [Cleaned] [tick] ...'', MERL list / description [Massingham Collection, circa 1951] - '[insert] MASSINGHAM FILE [end insert] // THE COTSWOLD TRADITION // AN EXHIBITION AT CIRENCESTER PARK // MAY-SEPTEMBER 1951 ... // RECEIPT. // Received with gratitude the following articles, collected from Reading University on the 29th April, 1951: // ...French Gingerbread Mould. ... // Loaned by The Massingham Collection.', MERL list / description [Massingham Collection, October 1989] – 'ACC. NO.: 51/108 // NAME: GINGERBREAD MOULD // NEG NO.: 35/32-33 // STORAGE: ', Although the quality of carving makes this of French origin, it is remarkably similar to English ones. Such moulds were common all over North West Europe and go back at least 300 years. Gingerbread made in these moulds was often gilded afterwards and in England was commonly sold at fairs and was thus known as FAIRINGS., Object research project, Further Afield, February 2024 – This mould was given to Massingham by a Mrs. Macaulay, who was unaware it was French.
Production date
1800-01-01 - 1899-12-31
Production period
Nineteenth century
Object name
Material
Technique
Associated subject
External document
- L:\MERL\Objects\JISC 2012\35 series negatives\Scans\35_32.tif - High resolution image
- L:\MERL\Objects\JISC 2012\35 series negatives\Scans\35_33.tif - High resolution image
